Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has stated that all royalties Donald Trump earns from using one of their songs will be donated to Kamala Harris’ campaign.
The former president used the band’s 1997 song “My Hero” when he greeted Robert F. Kennedy at a rally in Arizona after the independent candidate endorsed him.
In a statement to Billboard, the band explained: “The Foo Fighters were not asked for permission and even if they had been, they would not have granted it.”
It further stated that “appropriate action” would be taken against the Trump campaign and that the royalties collected would be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
When asked by an X-Account whether the band had given Trump permission to use the song, they simply replied, “No.”
Dave Grohl performs during a celebration to launch the Music Diplomacy Initiative at the Benjamin Franklin Room of the Department of State in Washington, DC on September 27, 2023.
The former president used the band’s 1997 song “My Hero” when he greeted Robert F. Kennedy at a rally in Arizona after the independent candidate endorsed him.
The band is the latest in a series of artists who have sharply criticized Trump and his campaign team for the unauthorized use of their music.
Earlier this month, superstar Beyoncé threatened him with a cease and desist order after his spokesperson Steven Cheung used her song in a clip posted on social media.
The tweet, which has since been removed, included the lyrics “Touchdown in Michigan!!” and showed Trump getting off a plane.
Trump’s campaign team never received permission to use the song, a source close to the Houston-born musician told Rolling Stone.
In the past, Trump has repeatedly faced critical scrutiny from artists whose material he played at his rallies without the artists’ permission.
These include Céline Dion and Phil Collins as well as the estates of deceased artists such as Sinéad O’Connor, Isaac Hayes and Tom Petty.
On August 11, attorneys for Hayes’ estate filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Trump campaign for improperly using Hayes’ “Hold On, I’m Coming.”
The American band Foo Fighters will perform on the Orange Stage at Roskilde Festival on Friday, July 5, 2024
This is not the first time the former Nirvana drummer has criticized a Republican for using “My Hero.”
In 2008, the band asked John McCain to stop using the song in his presidential campaign because it would “harm” the song.
A statement from the band reads: “The saddest thing is that ‘My Hero’ was written as a tribute to the common man and his extraordinary potential.”
“The fact that it is appropriated without our knowledge and used in a way that distorts the original sentiment of the lyrics is damaging to the song.”
The successful band had previously taken action against protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church, a hate group that had demonstrated at several of their concerts.
The group has previously performed a parody song for the organization, covering the Bee Gees’ song “You Should Be Dancing” in response to its anti-LGBT views.
